East Timor: Habibie stalls as pressure mounts
By Jon Land
The Indonesian government is under increasing pressure to resolve the growing political crisis it is caught in as a consequence of its 23-year illegal occupation of East Timor. President Habibie, while attempting to portray his regime as more willing to listen to the aspirations of the East Timorese people than his predecessor, has shown he is incapable of dealing with the renewed push for independence occurring across East Timor.
With the fall of Suharto in May, there were initial indications that Habibie would be prepared to make some changes in policy on East Timor. There was the promise of the release of political prisoners, the offer of autonomy and the intimation that troop numbers would be reduced.
These gestures, viewed by many as token, have proven to be precisely that.
ABRI (Indonesian armed forces) documents disclosed to western diplomats and news services worldwide on October 29 revealed the full extent of Indonesian troop numbers and armed militias. This shattered the lie that troop numbers had been significantly reduced since late July.
Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas alleged just prior to the information being leaked that the number of soldiers serving in East Timor was around 6000.
According to the documents, the total number of regular troops exceeds 17,000. Including the armed militias, the number is greater than 21,000.
The documents on the 13 militias funded by the Indonesian military also disprove the persistent claim by the Indonesian government that these groups arose "spontaneously to support integration with Indonesia. The militias include the infamous ninja gangs, which terrorise many rural towns and villages.
The Habibie regime has vigorously denied that the documents on troop and militia numbers are genuine. The immediate response by Indonesian military heads, however, was contradictory.
An Australian Associated Press report on October 30 quoted the chief of staff of the East Timor military sub-command, Lieutenant Colonel Supadi, as saying the numbers were around 18,000: "It may be true because now there are still many civilians who have been trained in military exercises and they also carry guns". He added, "On several occasions, such as operations, they wear military uniforms".
On the same day, ABRI head General Wiranto told reporters in Jakarta: "It is not true that the ABRI personnel [in East Timor] reach 17,000. That is a lie that is not supported by facts."
Wiranto declined to give the number of troops in East Timor. He said that foreign diplomats were free to travel to East Timor to see for themselves.
Wiranto also claimed: "ABRI is in East Timor to maintain security and to create a feeling of safety as well as to help enhance the prosperity of the population by providing guidance".
In an interview in the November 4 edition of the British Independent newspaper, Falintil commander Lere Anak Timur told journalist Richard Lloyd-Parry that the troop reduction claims by Indonesia were false:
"We need international attention. We need the UN to come and witness the withdrawals; otherwise they will never happen." He added: "The Indonesian military has too much business here, too many opportunities for promotion and profit".
An article in the October 31 Australian Financial Review by Geoffrey Barker reported that the leaked documents could be part of a "new push to destabilise" Habibie.
Barker stated: "Australian officials said they were not surprised by disclosures in the documents that Indonesian troop numbers were much higher than claimed by Indonesia's most senior officials".
Barker also claimed that officials in Canberra believed that the documents were leaked by sources seeking to embarrass Habibie and/or force a genuine withdrawal of Indonesian troops from East Timor.
There have been unconfirmed reports that the documents were first released to United States officials in Jakarta. The US Congress passed a bill on October 22 placing a ban on the use of weapons sold to Indonesia in East Timor. (Congress has also supported an internationally supervised referendum on the political status of East Timor.)
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer responded awkwardly to questions posed on Channel Nine's Sunday program on November 1, refusing to acknowledge that the Australian government knew that troop reduction claims by Indonesia were untrue.
He said Australia was seeking "verification" from Indonesia, and stated: "... there have been rumours about troop numbers, there have been varied rumours ... they [Indonesia] may or may not have done what they said they would in terms of troop numbers."
Military operations have been increasing in East Timor over the last six weeks. A series of encirclement campaigns are attempting to kill and capture Falintil guerillas.
Clashes occurring in central and eastern East Timor have been denied by the Indonesian military. Falintil commander Cranek Hali Mesak issued a report on October 27, detailing the arrival in mid-October of fresh troops in Dili, along with a substantial number of battalions active in the Ermera region and around Viqueque and east towards Los Palos.
An additional three battalions of troops were flown into Kupang, the capital of West Timor.
As with the claims of troop reductions, the release of East Timorese political prisoners has proven to be a farce. There has been little movement on this front, despite the pledge by the Indonesian government to speed up the release of political prisoners in talks held with the United Nations secretary-general and the Portuguese government on August 5.
Arbitrary detention of students and those suspected of helping Falintil guerillas is still common.
There has been only one round of prisoner releases since the August 5 meeting. On August 15, 10 prisoners were granted amnesty.
Of these, two had already been released from prison by a court order and another three were overdue for release, having served more time than their sentences.
The East Timor Human Rights Centre estimates that there are at least 131 East Timorese political prisoners, including resistance leader Xanana Gusmao, whom the Habibie regime refuses to involve in any negotiations.
An All-inclusive Intra-East Timorese Dialogue (AIETD) was held from October 31 to November 3 in Austria. The AIETD has been an annual meeting conducted under the auspices of the UN secretary-general since 1995, involving East Timorese who favour integration, independence or other arrangements similar to autonomy.
The National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) presented a draft statement proposing self-determination as the only viable solution. This was flatly rejected by those supporting integration, who represent a very small and privileged minority with close ties to the Indonesian government.
The CNRT responded by stating it would not participate in any further AIETD meetings in their current form and that talks in the future should be conducted in East Timor.
CNRT leader Jose Ramos Horta called the meeting a "complete farce", accusing some of the participants of being "Indonesian officials" who were obstructing progress through "sterile conversation".
Horta said he would not sign any final document of the meeting: "I am flexible, but not to the point of debasing the people of East Timor".
There is an increasing confidence and militancy among student and youth activists in East Timor, who sense that their struggle for freedom and independence is closer to victory.
This feeling is spreading throughout the population, as they openly discuss and debate the possible future of an independent East Timor. There are likely to be larger and more determined demonstrations if their demands are not met soon.
Horta told reporters in Canada on October 26: "If there was a referendum today, and that's what Indonesia fears, 100% of the people would vote in a bloc against the Indonesian invasion. So there is no possibility of civil war because there'll be no losers in such a referendum. Everyone would vote against the Indonesian occupation. It is a simple answer."
[Has Labor's policy changed?: page 12.]